Grey
by UnapologeticallyAuthor
Summary: future AU in which Blake Belladona rarely contacts her teammates from team RWBY. She works as a contract killer for a mysterious organization, and her most recent mission gives her an unexpected mark: Weiss Schnee.
1. Prologue

**A/N** **Hey guys, I'm here with another story just to keep myself a little bit occupied. Just so you all know, I'm trying out something new in the way of style. I would love to hear your feedback be it critical or just to know what you think.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"Think about what you're doing. We went to school together," The leader said arrogantly, placing his hand on the girl - or woman's - shoulder. It has been nearly five years since then, definitely too long for her to still be called a girl.

The dark haired woman brushed his hand off her shoulder and unsheathed her weapon. The sound metallic as it brushed along the edge of her scabbard. "Cardin, this is the way it has to be," she took a menacing step forward, loading Gambol Shroud with a dust clip, "my organization requires that I do this."

"But what about Ruby? Yang? What'll they do when they hear about this?" Cardin replied, slowly reaching into a pouch on his belt with his free hand. Unlike her, however, stealth wasn't Cardin's strong suit. She saw the whole thing.

What happened next was a blur; Cardin pulled a knife on her and lunged forward with the intent to kill. Unfortunately, the training that he received at Beacon would mean less than nothing to her. Her years spent outside the kingdoms after graduation saw to that. Her instincts kicked into overdrive, survival and finesse mixing together in a deadly cocktail. The woman's arm shot forward, intercepting Cardin's strike and deflecting the blade just to the right of her head. Using the rest of his momentum, she grabbed his arm and swung him into the wall. The resulting crash sounded throughout the building and probably alerted any of the on duty guards.

She would have to get what she came for quickly.

"Where is she? Tell me now," the operative said in a monotonous voice, the routineness of the operation familiar and strangely calming. She cocked her weapon and leveled it just at his head.

Cardin spat blood, looking defiantly up at the woman. He would never bow to anyone, let alone a nonhuman freak like her. "I'm not telling you a damn thing, faunus scum," he replied, staring straight up the barrel of the weapon, "if you're going to kill me, just do it."

The faunus felt anger rising in her, the cause of which dated back to her turmoil rife childhood. She had a flashback to a peace rally that she attended with most of Vale's faunus population. She remembered the pain of prejudice. In truth, she had never really forgotten. "Cardin, I can hurt you before you die. You know that I can. Tell. Me. Where. She. Is."

She was met with only silence. As easily as it was to swat a fly off of her shoulder, she fired a round into his chest. With the surgical precision that was required of this trade, she made sure not to damage any of Cardin's organs, at least not any of the vital ones.

"Where is she?" The woman asked, aiming the still smoking gun at his head. She knew that she really needed to hurry up, but this was the closest that she had been for the past year. Her mark was just out of reach.

"Die," he replied, this time spitting blood into her face.

That was her last straw; she got to her knees in front of him and plunged her thumb into the open wound, pressing the dust round deeper into him. Reverberating off of the walls in a cacophonous opera, his screams pierced her skull, but had no effect.

"Cardin, do you know what this is?" She asked, channeling some of her aura in the tip of her thumb.

He didn't reply, but looked up at her, the pain muddying his vision and bringing him to the brink of consciousness. She knew this and cursed, wiping her thumb on his shirt.

The next thing she knew, what sounded like a battalion was charging up the stairs, towards the office. Without thinking, she fired three rounds in a triangle formation at the nearest window and leapt through it head first. As the ground rushed to meet her, she used her semblance to make a shadow clone, jumping to the side, tucking and rolling.

The sound of footsteps from the top floor of the building was punctuated by an explosion, and then replaced by screaming. Cardin was a loose end and Blake couldn't have him alerting _her_.

The dust round that she had used was a powerful timed explosive: an invention of a friend that she needed to visit.

Soon.


	2. Chapter 1: Honesty

**A/N** **To commemorate the release of the new intro, I decided to upload this now rather than later. If you get a chance, follow me on tumblr .com. And please review, I need them to see what I can do better. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Sometimes lying is the only course of action to make sure that the ones around you don't get hurt. There is nothing morally wrong nor right just as there is nothing that is simply black or white; there is only grey.

Blake smirked. No matter how many times she told herself that, it never made that action any easier. As she made her way down the snow covered, icy sidewalks of the main city of Vale, she took in the sights. The towering buildings that surrounded her were dwarfed by the overbearing, yet awesome presence that Beacon's silhouette emanated. This was her home for a short while.

She walked down the block until she saw the wooden sign that pointed towards the second floor, hanging off a storefront with a very noticeable blood red awning. _Red Like Roses Custom Parts_. Blake's Intel said that this is where Ruby spent her downtime when not on a mission and that she often took requisitions to make extra Lien.

Stepping into the doorway, a small bell jingled, alerting Ruby to a guest. "Come in!" A familiar, shrill voice yelled from up the stairs.

Blake glided up the stairs; turning right into a small workshop with an interior design that was nearly identical to the dormitories at Beacon, save for the workstation that was set beneath the window. Like the saying goes, you can take the Ursa out of the forest, but you can never take the forest out of the Ursa.

"Hang on, let me just finish up over here," Ruby said, not looking up at Blake. As she fiddled with a weapon part of some sort, Blake took the time to look the younger woman over. Ruby had definitely filled into her body, her slight girlish curves definitely noticeable under the black coveralls that she wore. Her puerile cap of hair was even more disheveled and slightly longer than Blake remembered. The final thing that she noticed was that, of course, Ruby wore that signature cape around her neck.

Eventually, Ruby put the piece down, seemingly satisfied and saw her guest over for the first time. Without hesitation, Ruby threw herself at her former teammate, and whether it was out of sheer joy at the sight of her, or sisterly affection, Blake didn't really care. She hugged Ruby back for as long as the girl needed to until she was released.

"Blake! I can't believe that it's you! I haven't seen you in, what, five years? I mean I'm glad that you sent Yang and I messages every now and then, but we would have loved to see you," Ruby babbled, talking as fast as she possible could.

For her, it had been merely five years since they'd last seen each other, but for Blake, it was a lifetime ago.

"I'm sorry, Ruby, you know how it is, constantly being on the move," Blake replied, shrugging apologetically.

"Of course, my missions take me all over Remnant, but I love Vale so much. I come back whenever I can. What have you been up to since graduation?" Ruby asked.

Once upon a time, a question like this would have caught Blake off guard, but that was when she was a girl, and that girl was killed a long time ago. The tenet of her doctrine rushed into her head: Lie without hesitation to keep from dragging anyone into the crossfire unnecessarily.

"I've been taking odd jobs outside the kingdoms for those who aren't fortunate enough to be surrounded by these walls. They can't pay me with much, but I've gotten by."

While this wasn't a complete lie, it couldn't have been farther from the truth. Odd jobs? Yes, but they were, and are, for a specific purpose.

"Whoa, that's so cool; you're like a charity huntress. Oh! Do you want to see what I've been working on?" she asks, using her semblance to zip back to her desk. "This is an ammo converter that I made for Yang. All she has to do is load it up with shotgun shells and she'll be able to forage ammo straight from the battlefield. It also compresses." At that, she pressed a button on its side, causing the device to mechanically shrink to the size of a shotgun shell.

Suddenly, Blake heard the door open, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. A mane of golden hair and violet eyes entered the room, wearing the same outfit that was worn during her time at Beacon.

Speak of the deathstalker.

"Blake? Is that you?" She ran over to the raven haired huntress and wrapped her in a massive bear hug, lifting her off the ground.

Blake couldn't help, but smile: neither sister had really changed since their time together. That is, Yang still retained her maternal aura, and Ruby was still very easily excited.

"Yes," Blake croaked, barely able to draw in breath.

Yang put her down and smiled widely, "I've missed you so much. Fighting isn't as much fun as it was when you were there."

Yang's mind wandered to their first Vytal festival, where they worked together so well. Coincidentally, Blake's memory went to the same place.

"Yang, guess what I got for you?" Ruby sang, bolting to her sister's side in a flurry of rose petals. She held her hands behind her back, a mischievous smile playing along her face.

"Ruby! You didn't need to get me anything!" Yang said, hugging the smaller girl lovingly.

"Nonsense, Yang. It's your birthday, and besides, I didn't buy it. I made it," Ruby replied, thrusting her hands forward.

Blake softly swore under her breath, she couldn't believe that she had forgotten her former partner's birthday.

"Is this what I think it is?" Yang asked excitedly, picking up her sister and spinning her around. "You remembered!"

"How could I not? You wouldn't stop complaining about your lack of ammo, oh sister dearest."

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" Yang hugged her sister again before easily fitting the device to her left gauntlet.

She then activated and deactivated her weapon a few times to make sure that the mechanism was smooth - not that she needed to. Ruby knew her stuff. However, what she didn't know was that a good amount of her inventions, like the explosive dust rounds, were being used by Blake's organization for a very distinct purpose, which was, to put it plainly - killing.

After the commotion caused by Ruby's gift, Yang suddenly turned her attention to her old partner and spoke in a stern voice, "Blake. You and I need to catch up,"

It wasn't a question.

"Ruby, wanna head down to Junior's?"

Junior owned the club that Yang essentially knocked down before our first year. She also racked up a huge bill on our graduation night. Since then they must have made up.

"It's a special occasion, why not?" Ruby replied after a moment of careful consideration.

* * *

The underbelly of Vale harbored the most squalid and suspicious dive bars in all of Remnant Among them stood Junior's - the best of the worst. It surprised Blake that her organization hadn't targeted any of the reigning kings of the underground.

The cold and almost unwelcoming atmosphere of the outside world immediately conflicted with the pulsating, heavy bass, and red lights that spilled out onto the sidewalk. It was inviting and warm.

The trio hastily and gratefully took shelter inside, shaking out the cold and letting the sounds and sights of the dance floor warm their auras. The music was loud and the dance floor writhed with the movement of at least a hundred human and faunus patrons, all here with the same, obvious intentions.

"Let's get to the bar!" Yang yelled, raising her voice and pointing across the room.

Junior himself worked at the bar, looking no more worse for wear since the last time Blake had seen him. That, however, was more than five years ago. Blake didn't have much of a stomach for alcohol.

He smiled warmly when he saw Yang, "Blondie! It's been a while, how've you been?"

"I've been great, and you don't look too bad yourself," she replied with a wink and a subtle grazing of her lower lip against her front teeth. She motioned to her entourage, "You remember my sister, and my partner, right?"

"Of course! After that graduation party, how could I forget?" He pulled the rocket bat on his belt out and placed it on the bar, laughing heartily, "Speaking of which, Yang you still owe me a lot of Lien. Your tab isn't going to hold out forever."

Casually fingering Gambol Shroud, which now rested on a side sheath across her lower back, Blake kept an eye on Junior's eyes and face. At the moment, it didn't look as though he was in the mood to cause any problems in the club, but it never hurt to be careful.

Yang raised her arms defensively, wearing her most disarming smile. She batted her eyebrows a few times for good measure, "Junior, I promise that you'll get your money. Don't you trust me?"

And like that, the man's resolve was destroyed. He sighed in resignation and removed the weapon from the table.

Blake dropped her hand. She was surprised at how easy that was. There was definitely something that had gone on between Junior and Yang.

"Fine, I know you three aren't here for my company so what'll you be having?"

"Two strawberry daiquiris and, uh sorry," she turned to her former partner, "Blake, what do you want?"

"Water," Blake replied simply, sitting down at a free barstool.

"Oh come on, Blake! You need to loosen up. She'll have something - anything strong."

Blake had to give credit where credit was due; the blonde knew how to have a good time. She trusted Yang and thus resigned to drinking whatever was placed in front of her. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

"Where's the other one, the one in white?" Junior asked as he slid team RBY their drinks from across the bar.

Blake's ears twitched, this was information that she was looking for as well.

Ruby dropped her head and her shoulders, "She's too busy to hang out with Yang and I. We didn't think that she was going to, but she ended up leading the Schnee Dust Company from here in Vale."

"That's right," Junior said, slapping his forehead with his palm. "Aren't they throwing a gala or something tomorrow?"

Ruby scratched her head, a look of genuine confusion on her face, "I don't know what that means, but they are having a dance. I heard about it on the radio."

Junior didn't reply to that.

 _If the company is throwing a gala, there's a good chance that she might be there too_ , Blake thought, taking a tentative sip of the suspiciously blue liquid that Junior gave her. It was tart, cold, and surprisingly good.

Yang took the silence as a cue to start drinking and proceeded to chug her entire daiquiri without taking a breath.

Blake shrugged and started on her own drink. It was a good thing that she caught wind of a lead this early into the night; she probably wouldn't remember anything after this point in the morning.

* * *

She was right.


	3. Chapter 2: Confliction

Sorry for the infrequency of uploading. I won't lie, it will be infrequent, but I hope you enjoy regardless. Drop me a thought if you want to, thanks for reading.

* * *

Lying on the couch in Yang's apartment, Blake rubbed her temples, still feeling the dull ache of the previous night. As much as her body regretted it, she didn't; She forgot how much fun it was to have teammates and friends rather than colleagues and faceless voices, even if it was only for a night. Speaking of a faceless voice, Blake's scroll alerted her to a message from her organization's leader.

 _G: Operative, it has come to my attention that you have a chance to eliminate your target this evening. To maximize your chances of success, We have provided you with a disguise at location: S-117, sub-designation 058. We await your success._

Blake sighed and lay on Yang's couch for a while longer while the blonde slept, snoring loudly from her bedroom. She considered leaving right away, but her former partner had given her a real place to rest her head for the night. Nodding, Blake decided: She would make Yang breakfast.

The smell of something (barely) burning woke up Yang and, having been the cause of enough fires, she leapt up. There wasn't any smoke crawling along the ceiling which was a good sign. With the reckless abandon that could only come from being essentially immune to heat when she wanted to, Yang grasped the metal doorknob and wrenched the door open, running out into the adjoining living room and kitchen.

"Good morning," Blake said nonchalantly, unaware of the culinary sin that she was committing.

Any panic that Yang felt was immediately quelled. It was then that she remembered that she wasn't wearing anything.

"Ugh, Blake, you uh scared the pants off of me?"

Blake ignored the pun, piling the browned pancake on a plate which showed a gradient burnt breakfast.

"Yeah," Yang nodded, "I'm going to go put something on."

Shortly afterwards, Yang came back, wearing a tank top and boy shorts, "Thanks for making breakfast," she said, sitting down at a bar stool beside the granite island in the center of the kitchen.

"Consider it payment for cooking breakfast for us so often back at Beacon. . . and for last night"

"Payment? Blake you need to loosen up. I didn't buy the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds looking for something back. I just thought that you and Ruby deserved to have a good time."

The blonde took a plate out of a cupboard and, with her hands, picked up a pancake. She inspected the charred underside, shrugged, and took a bite out of it.

Blake didn't respond or apologize for the state of the food. She knew that Yang wasn't a picky eater. She also knew how voracious her former partner's appetite was and accounted for it.

"Blake?" Asked Yang, audibly swallowing a bite of pancake, "Do you want to see Weiss?"

Blake choked.

"I know that it's awkward seeing an ex, but we were all on the same team. Look, you don't have to, but she sent Ruby and I invitations to her gala tonight. You can go in my place."

There was no way to tell Yang what her true intent was in returning to Vale. How could she? Yang of all people wouldn't understand.

"Thanks, but I'd rather you go than I -"

"Blake, I can't go anyway, I leave tonight on a mission. That's another reason that I bought all those rounds last night. I don't know when or even if I'll be back. Please go."

Blake scolded herself internally. Even if she wasn't going to the gala to dance and mingle with the thief barons or the bloody socialites, Yang was giving her easy access to her mark. This way at least, she wouldn't need to harm anyone during infiltration.

"Ok, Yang, I'll do it," Blake responded finally.

"Good. You have a lot of catching up to do anyway. Ah, You and Ruby that is."

Blake doubted the truth of Yang's statement. But didn't have any time to argue; She needed to get her equipment.

* * *

The pier near the business district was just as crowded as it had been during Blake's time at Beacon. This provided a challenge in trying to retrieve the gear that had been laid out. The dead drop was just beneath one of the docks and could only be accessed (dryly) at certain times of the day. Blake waited until she was absolutely certain that there weren't any witnesses before leaping over a railing onto a hidden sandbar right off the edge. An innocuous, rusted barrel floated, tethered to the dock with a seemingly random amount of tangled fish line, but Blake knew it immediately. Emblazoned on the side of the barrel in faded ink was her organization's symbol: A king taiju wrapped around a staff.

Blake pressed her finger to the white head of the taiju and its biometric scanner activated, humming softly. Recognizing the assassin, the barrel's lid came off. Inside it was a small suitcase with all of Blake's equipment, aside from Gambol Shroud.

She knew better than to check the equipment in public and instead opted to do some recon on the building. Then, tonight, she would meet Ruby at her workshop.

* * *

"Blake, aren't you going to get ready? And could you just help me zip up the back part of this?" Ruby asked, trying in vain to reach the zipper on her dress.

When Blake saw Ruby's choice of clothing, she was surprised. The youngest member of team RWBY seldom wore anything 'fancy shmancy' and still managed to adapt to it. The color of the red dress that she wore matched the hair on the fringes of her head. She filled it out well, the dress sticking to her mature, but still boyish curves.

"Yes, I'll be a second," Blake replied while zipping up Ruby's dress.

Afterwards, she walked into Ruby's bathroom and placed the briefcase on her porcelain sink. Getting through yet another biometric scanner, Blake opened the suitcase and lifted up the first thing. It was a played, mute-purple skirt with hidden sheaths in each pleat for most types of conventional hidden weaponry.

After pulling it on and tossing her hair over her left shoulder, she checked the rest of the equipment. There were two ice dust grenades as well as a knife that had burn dust in the bottom. Blake recognized this. It was another one of Ruby's inventions. By focusing her aura on the dust inside its hilt, a huntress was able to fire the blade out like a projectile. The only difference between the version that Blake had and Ruby's original version was that there were two chambers in the hilt allowing for the hilt to function as a grenade afterwards.

Finally a long thin blade that twisted in a serrated, serpentine spiral that intertwined around a needle was pulled out. Blake frowned. She had purposely left her trepanation blade at hq because she disapproved of using it to extract information. It was brutal and frankly inhumane. She preferred to leave it, but realized that it had a second meaning. Blake was to use it on herself if there was any threat of compromising the organization.

She sheathed all of her weaponry and patted herself down, walking out of the bathroom. For some reason, Blake felt jittery despite telling herself that there would be no difference between this assignment and any other.

"Whoa, Blake, you look great!" Ruby exclaimed, motioning for the older woman to stand by her side, "I want to take a picture of us to remember tonight in case you aren't able to visit again after the gala."

Blake understood Ruby's intentions and felt a pulse of regret course through her body. She did feel bad for essentially abandoning her teammates after Beacon, but the reason for doing so was more important. _They_ were important.

She walked to Ruby and smiled faintly staring at the camera in the corner of her scroll. The device flashed once and Ruby turned it over to see the picture on the screen.

"Thanks, Blake," Ruby flashed a sad grin and threw her arms around her former teammate.

"Ruby, you're acting like you're never going to see me again," she replied, holding Ruby tightly.

Ruby didn't respond to that, but let go of her, "Don't worry about it, Blake, let's get to the dance thing."

* * *

Earlier in the day, Blake scouted the grand hall that the Schnee Dust Company was holding their gala in. To her surprise, it was in benefit to the YFHA or Young Faunus Help Association. Weiss was still trying to make up for the sins of her family. Blake appreciated it for what it was worth - hopefully the work would continue after Weiss' death.

Blake, scowling, walked alongside her companion as they entered the gala, feeling an air of sudden warmth and contrasting self-interest. It was clear why most of these people were here; for them, public image was everything.

"Do you think there's a punch bowl?" Ruby asked, flashing a nervous smile at Blake.

"Ruby, I think that you'll get some even if there isn't a punch bowl," The faunus joked, nodding towards the many waiters walking around the hall.

A sophisticated buzz droned as people walked in, wearing the latest and best in what was considered fashionable. To Blake, they looked like a bunch of colorful birds, each trying to outdo the other. This is what sickened her most about the society in which she lived. All these people could pretend that they were here for the cause, but the only cause that they truly cared for was their own.

This went on for a while - people walking in and talking. Nobody bothered approaching either huntress so they had their own conversation, talking about different missions that they'd undertaken since team RWBY split up. Blake, of course, hid certain details about her hunts including the fact that most if not all of her targets weren't grimm.

Just as Ruby was getting into one tale, going as far as using her arms to illustrate a point, the sound of metal hitting glass interrupted them.

That's when Blake saw her. Her simple black dress' straps framed her shoulders loosely, exposing her very prominent collarbones. Elegant as always, she wore her hair in a twisted braid over her right shoulder.

Blake's heart rate accelerated as it normally did when she spotted a target. However, as she was trained to, she suppressed her aura. In this day and age, more security companies were training their employees to be able to sense dangerous aura flares, which is indicative of assassin's that are ready to strike.

Blake knew that she would have to pick the right moment to strike.

"Welcome to this year's Schnee Dust charity gala," Weiss spoke with the clear enunciation and confidence of a performer, "I thank you for your generosity towards the YFHA. It's important to remember the contribution that the faunus have had on the advancement of humankind and not forget about those that are underprivileged. Again I thank you, and encourage you all to have a wonderful evening."

For a second there, it looked like Weiss' glacial blue eyes fell on Blake, but that couldn't have been the case. Even so, Blake took the precaution of moving Ruby and herself to a different location in the hall, near a window overlooking the street and its life.

"Do you think we'll get a chance to talk to Weiss?" Ruby asked.

Blake shrugged, not saying anything to the younger woman.

It's like Ruby had some special power to summon anybody that she spoke about because out of nowhere, Weiss appeared, a soft smile mixed with slight indifference on her face.

"I don't know. Ruby, will you get a chance to speak to me?" She asked, taking a step forward and embracing her former partner.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed after they broke apart, "I'm so glad that you invited us," she motioned to Blake?

"I didn't, I invited you and your sister," her smile faded, "Blake, you haven't seen me in what, five years and you're already avoiding me? Typical."

Blake was literally at a loss. As far as assassinations went, this one had definitely progressed in the backwards direction more than the forward.

"I want avoiding you, I was avoiding the crowd," Blake explained, leaning up against a window. Her heart beat irregularly.

Weiss nodded, unconvinced.

"Well, I won't lie, it's good to see you," her voice trailed off when she saw the look of indifference on Blake's face, "Look, Ruby the reason that I invited you was because last month, somebody broke into the Schnee Dust building and attempted to elicit information from my head of security."

She grimaced as though remembering something unsavory, "He survived of course, but lost his right arm, most of his face, and his memory. Aura is an incredible thing. I was wondering if you and your sister could help me with the ongoing investigation."

Cardin survived? _Of course he did, when has my luck ever been good? Ruby should've seen this coming, it's Weiss, there's always a catch,_ thought Blake, shaking her head.

She couldn't believe it. This was the same Weiss that she had dated, and thought she had loved five years ago.

The same Weiss who hadn't loved her enough.


	4. Chapter 3: Reversion

**A/N: Hi everyone, sorry for the extended break. I'm shooting for monthly releases at the least, but I'll be uploading whenever I'm finished with a chapter. Enjoy this, and let me know what you think.**

* * *

Of all the ways that an operative could mess up a mission, this one had to be new. Moonlight slanted over Blake's eyes as she lay awake, keeping her from finding any respite. How had it come to this? She thought, rolling her head to meet the peaceful, sleeping face of the woman she had once loved. _Once_ loved. If that was so, why did she do this? _That_ was a question that she couldn't answer.

* * *

 _6 Hours earlier_ :

The Schnee residence, far too modest to be called a manor, was a penthouse in the middle of the business district of Vale. After the gala and a very uncomfortable elevator ride, Ruby and Blake found themselves inside the penthouse and moments later, a heavily fortified bunker. Weiss wasn't taking any chances.

"Ruby, Blake, if you'll take a look at these documents that my team has collected, the first thing you'll notice is a lack of a veritable footprint. All of these hits were unclaimed." She handed a manila folder to the two of them, crossing her arms against her chest. "And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to change into something more comfortable."

Blake kept her eyes down, either too ashamed or embarrassed to face Weiss' gaze as she walked out of the room. This situation wasn't her fault; the way their relationship had ended was a direct result of Weiss' actions.

"Blake, did you get that?" Ruby whispered, looking up at her taller friend with a furrowed brow.

"No. I'm a little bit distracted right now," she replied, her smile barely reaching her eyes.

"Someone's trying to kill Weiss!" Ruby half whispered and half screamed, quickly calming herself down. "I'm sorry. It's just - I - we just all got back together and it's like the world's trying to tear us back apart."

The sincerity in the younger girl's voice almost made Blake question her actions up to this point. Almost. But whether she knew it or not, the seeds of doubt had been planted in her mind.

"That's much better," Weiss announced, walking back into the room wearing a white knitted sweater and a pair of black thermals.

Blake looked away immediately. It was clear to see how well Weiss, like Ruby, had filled into her body. Somehow, she was even more beautiful now than she had been then.

"As I was saying, there's somebody trying to have me killed. By the lack of any trails or evidence, I've come to believe that my would be assailant is actually a group of people. The work's too clean for it to be one man or woman," Weiss walked to a massive computer across the room.

"Well do you have any idea who would want you dead?" Ruby asked, her eyes quickly scanning the page before her.

"No, but that being said, I'm not the first CEO of Schnee Dust. My father had enemies, as did his and so on and so forth." The computer beeped to life. "Blake," Weiss said suddenly. "You've kept quiet. Did I miss anything?"

Obviously, Blake censored the fact that she was a part of the organization. After a second of quiet deliberation, she decided that the best course of action was to deflect the blame onto an extremely familiar enemy.

"The White Fang," she said simply.

"What? We took care of the White Fang while we were still in school. What would they have to do with it, Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Elaborate," Weiss commanded, her eyes imposing and curious.

"I've _been_ outside the Kingdoms. We might have neutralized the main force, but there's still a small splinter faction led by Adam," Blake started, speaking with the cadence of one familiar with the Fang - which she was. "They're still out for Schnee blood and, despite their size, still a threat."

Weiss thought for a moment, nodding her head in satisfaction. "That's certainly a possibility; I'll have my people look into it. And thank you both for coming on literally no notice. Would you like to stay for a while and, maybe, catch up?"

Blake looked at Ruby, whose face was lit with joy. How could she say no?

* * *

Minutes later, the trio was sat around a cozy coffee table in Weiss' penthouse library. In Weiss' hand was a device that Blake knew would call her butler, when needed.

"Excuse me, Geoff. Would you mind bringing up a pot of coffee?" She looked at Blake. "And another of tea."

Blake smiled appreciatively, and Weiss returned it, looking down when she caught herself.

"Right away, Ms. Schnee," a muffled voice said from the other end of the line.

In mere seconds, the butler, with his arms tattooed and his beard full, was there. "Oh, shit! You're not team RWBY, are you?"

"You'll have to excuse Geoff's language," Weiss said with a fond smile, taking the tray that he had brought and placing it on the table. "And yes, these are my teammates from my time in Beacon minus a certain blonde."

"That's sick! Well if you need anything, I am at your beck and call, Miss Schnee," he bowed low.

"That will be all for now, Geoff," Weiss smiled politely.

Geoff left, and when he was sufficiently out of earshot, Weiss smiled at them, the difference this time being that there was a hint of mischief behind her face. She pushed her chair out of the table and got up, walking to a bookshelf. Presumably, she moved some books before walking back to the table. In her hands, she had a small bottle, full of a caramel colored liquid with flecks of faintly glowing, blue particles swirling around.

"What's that?" Ruby asked, transfixed.

"Dust. Authentic Schnee bourbon. If you use your aura, you can cool your drink in a matter of seconds without the problem of ice watering it down," Weiss explained. "It was an idea my father had, which I perfected. It's completely safe."

"But what about the coffee?" Ruby asked, with a slanted frown.

Weiss laughed, the high clear noise making Blake smile in spite of herself.

"Ruby, nobody's stopping _you_ from having coffee, but, seeing as I'm being targeted, I think I want something a little bit stronger tonight."

So they had coffee, and tea, and bourbon, reminiscing on what was, and forlornly thinking of what could have been, had they all stayed together after graduating. Thankfully, there was not one mention of Blake and Weiss' relationship. They talked for over an hour, smiling, laughing, and nearly crying until they were finally interrupted.

Ruby's scroll buzzed, and she looked down to check it, slapping her forehead after she had read the message. "Aw, man! I forgot! I have a requisition due tomorrow morning- I haven't started it! I'll catch you later, Weiss. You _better_ message me." She dashed out of the room, leaving Blake alone with Weiss.

Blake stood up to follow Ruby back to her shop for a little while. She nodded at Weiss, as she wasn't sure that she trusted her own mouth.

"Wait!" Weiss shot up quickly, her arm outstretched. "Wait," she said a little bit more softly. "Do you have anywhere to go?"

Blake thought about lying, telling her that Yang was letting her house sit, or that she was being housed by Beacon, but against her better judgment, she didn't. "Uh, no I - I don't."

"Well I can't just let you leave, Blake. I insist that you stay the night," she blushed, quickly amending her words. "I mean, I have a guest room if you'd like to stay."

Once again, Blake found that she couldn't say no.

* * *

An hour or so later, Blake found herself in the hallway outside Weiss' room, blade in hand. It felt heavy - the decision to do this here and now, not the blade itself. Ruby knew she was here; that alone could implicate her. But that wasn't the only problem. She couldn't muster the resolve that she needed to do the deed.

So she went back to the guest room, and lay down in a borrowed bathrobe, trying to come to terms with the conflict in her heart.

On the one hand, the organization gave Blake everything that she needed after graduation. Having been disillusioned with the system, watching good huntsman and huntresses fall, she couldn't do it. That wasn't the way that she was going to protect the innocents. In many ways, the organization was a blessing. Blake was never one for heroics, being in the spotlight, that is, and the organization let her change the world from the shadows. On top of that, all of the targets, which they had chosen were bad people, who needed to die. Before tonight, she had never questioned it. Did Weiss deserve to die?

On the other hand, this wouldn't have been the first time that Blake blindly followed an agenda that wasn't hers. There was the White Fang, and then the Huntsman academies. This couldn't be like that, could it?

A sudden rapping at the door jolted Blake out of her thoughts. She took a deep breath and gently pulled it open, poking her head out. If the interruption in the dead of night didn't startle her, Weiss standing outside the door in her nightgown sure did.

"I'm . . . sorry," Weiss said, her normally confident voice cracking. The sound was heart wrenching, especially considering the fact that Weiss never cried - at least she never had around her teammates.

"Oh, uh, come in," Blake replied.

Weiss sat down on the edge of the bed, chewing her bottom lip. It was obvious that she had something to say. What that was exactly, Blake didn't know. She closed the door and stood by it, regarding Weiss as though she were a dangerous animal.

"I'm sorry," Weiss repeated, so faintly that Blake could barely hear her.

"I don't understand," Blake frowned. "What are you sorry for?"

"Everything!" Weiss nearly shouted. She got up and looked Blake face to face, the light from the moon making the tears, standing in her eyes, glitter. "I . . . I wish that we . . . that _this_ didn't end up the way it did," she sighed.

"Weiss are you . . . drunk?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I - Ugh!" She threw her arms into the air in exasperation. "I'm messing this up."

Blake took a step towards her. "You aren't making any sense." Then, all the pieces came together. "Wait, you still have feelings for me."

Weiss scoffed. "That's putting it mildly." She took a step closer to Blake. "Do you remember the Battle of Beacon well?" She asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Then you'll remember saving me from the Atlesian Knights." Weiss took another step forward, completely closing the gap between them. She looked up into Blake's eyes, willing her to remember. "That was when I knew that I loved you," she whispered, reaching up and pulling her head down.

Blake didn't resist, letting Weiss kiss her. The smaller girl's lips were soft, and tasted like home.

Normally, Blake wasn't one for hooking up. Tonight, for whatever reason, she wanted to keep kissing Weiss, but as suddenly as they started, Weiss withdrew.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to . . ." her voice trailed off, and she turned away, a silent tear rolling down the side of her face.

"It's ok," Blake whispered back, wiping the tear from Weiss' cheek, her soft smile, telling Weiss everything that she needed to know. That this was ok, that she wanted this too.

It was as if a switch was flipped. Weiss pressed herself into Blake, winding her fingers into Blake's long dark hair. She moaned intermittently, kissing with passion as if each and every one would be their last.

With strength surprising in one so slight, Weiss pulled Blake into the bed. What she wanted was clear.

"Weiss," Blake breathed, stealing breaths whenever she could. Every kiss spoke a volume, releasing a tension that had been building up all night. Blake's heart beat uncontrollably fast, yet completely in sync with Weiss'.

Tears streamed down the smaller girl's face as she arched her back, trying to get closer and closer to Blake.

Weiss' every curve felt familiar, and Blake touched her deliberately, easily finding the places that made Weiss shiver. So much time had passed, but it was like they had picked up where they left off. Blake was hesitant to admit to herself how badly she needed this.

Whatever it was.

After they had exhausted each other, Weiss and Blake lay together, breathing heavily.

Weiss looked happy, happier than Blake had ever seen her. In the moment, Blake felt such an upwelling of affection that she couldn't help but kiss Weiss on her nose. She wasn't sure what it was; she didn't know if it was love. All that she knew was that it felt like she was seeing Weiss for the first time.

"Weiss?" Blake asked, moving a loose lock of hair out of the way.

"Hmm?" Weiss blinked sleepily, nuzzling closer to Blake.

"Are we . . ." She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to _do_. This night had rekindled whatever spark was left within them. Could she kill that? Could she kill her?

Weiss kissed her again. "Shh. We can worry about that in the morning. For now, let's just enjoy this."

Blake didn't say no.


	5. Chapter 4: Progression

**A/N: Hello my audience, I'd like to let you guys know that I'm open for commission. If you're interested in hiring me or requesting a piece or whatever, find me at .com for more information.**

* * *

Loyalty tested in fire, laser focus, and unquestionable skill. These are what the organization promised each of the new wannabe recruits. It certainly helped that Blake came into the folds with two of those things. The loyalty, however, was something that she was never sure of. As long as the pretty, sand pillars, which an organization stood on, stayed stable, Blake was there. But, as with the White Fang, the true face, the pillars of treachery and lies revealed themselves eventually, And Blake knew that the only thing she could do was run.

Was she going to run from this too?

* * *

Blake awoke suddenly, clutching for a blade that she didn't have.

Where am I? She thought, panicking for a second before remembering. Memories flooded her mind, of tangled limbs and frantic kisses. She sighed heavily, collapsing onto the plush pillows. How had she gotten herself into this mess?

"Blake?" Weiss called, putting an earring in as she walked into the room. A pristine bathrobe framed her slight body comfortably.

Blake swallowed at the sight of her. "Good morning, Weiss," she said, keenly aware that she was still naked. The thought of pulling the blanket closer occurred to her, but, after last night, what was the point?

Weiss made a point to avoid Blake's eyes, and whether it was shame or regret, Blake didn't know. What she did know was that a cocktail of emotions roiled within her, though she knew not what to do with them. Did she want _this_? And if she did, would Weiss accept anything other than complete commitment? Did Weiss even _want_ anything more than a one night stand? And what about the organization? It was all too much to deal with this early in the morning.

"I'm sorry to leave like this - I have a meeting to get to and I don't want you getting the wrong idea," Weiss stopped moving and thought for a moment. "Could we get breakfast at our cafe in about an hour and a half? Um, you can stay as long as you need to. I'll alert my doorman."

Definitely not shame or regret.

"Yes, I'd like that. I just need to wash up and . . ." Blake looked around consciously, as if searching for a way to end her thought.

"Of course," Weiss took a step forward and stopped herself hesitantly.

Blake got up from the bed and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. Weiss made a choked, surprised noise, but nevertheless rested her head on Blake's shoulder. She seemed reluctant to let go, but eventually did with a soft, unsure smile. That was definitely what Weiss wanted. Blake wasn't normally one for words, and in doing this, she didn't need to speak. In that moment, her mind was made up. Nobody would take Weiss from Blake. She wouldn't lose her. Not again.

"I'll see you soon, Weiss," Blake promised. But first, she needed to get some advice.

* * *

"You what?" Ruby yelled, taking a step back. She even drew her weapon on Blake. "Ok let's see if I understand this. You're the assassin, who was assigned to kill Weiss, and all of a sudden you've had a change of heart and don't want to kill her?"

"To put it simply, yes," Blake answered, not trying to defend herself. If anyone would understand her, it was Ruby.

"I don't - I mean how does that happen?"

"We may have . . . slept together last night," Blake said, blushing.

"Oh." Ruby's weapon collapsed along with her offensive.

"Listen, I just want your help, Ruby. If the organization finds out about this, they'll waste no time, trying to find and kill the both of us."

"Blake. This isn't my problem," she sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding? This is just like the stories that Yang used to read me!" In an instant, Ruby turned back into the young girl Blake had met at Beacon. "I'll trust you. But from here on out, I expect full honesty. Not just towards me, but Weiss too."

"Wait, you want me to tell her about this?"

"No, I don't want you to. I need you to. Weiss is a big girl now, and if you want this to work, she needs to know what she's dealing with. She needs to be able to protect herself."

Blake stood up and began to pace. Even with Ruby's help, would she be able to protect Weiss? The organization stopped at nothing to take their targets down, and she didn't think that her opposition would be much of a deterrent. If anything it would be a minor inconvenience.

"It doesn't need to be right now. I know you need to be with Weiss in about," she trailed off looking at her scroll. "Ten minutes."

"Ten minutes? I'm going to be late - I need to go."

Ruby nodded. "Ok, Blake, but remember what I said."

"Of course. Nothing gets past our fearless leader," Blake said, eliciting a smile from her former teammate.

* * *

The hustle and bustle of the denizens of Vale once got to Blake, but not anymore. Her time here saw to that. She snaked her way through the crowds, moving with a clear purpose. Eventually it came into view.

Quaint and small, their cafe starkly contrasted the bland high rises and office buildings of the business district. Blake looked up from the front of it and noticed how close it was to Weiss' penthouse. Perhaps she'd chosen it for its proximity.

Suddenly, Blake's scroll buzzed in a pattern that she couldn't mistake for anything other than the organization.

 _Operative: Stand down. Another agent is en route,_ The message read, its text red and imposing.

No. That was impossible. How could the organization have found out about this? Blake hadn't spoken to anybody since Weiss and she had gotten back together . . . Wait. Did they get back together? That was up in the air right now, but Blake was determined to find out.

 _No,_ Blake responded. _I can handle this._

 _Negative, operative. Stand down or you will be punished swiftly, severely, and permanently._

Blake swallowed, breathing quickly to slow her beating heart. She knew that nothing she could say would change the organization's mind. She knew that if she wanted to keep Weiss, and herself, safe, she would need to be discrete.

"Blake," Weiss said, looking pleased, as if she weren't sure that Blake would actually show up. "I got us a table outside." She motioned to one close to the door.

"No!" No, Blake almost yelled, unable to keep the panic from her voice. "Sorry, I would just prefer if we sat inside."

"Oh," The confusion on Weiss' face was clear, but she quickly flagged a waiter down explaining their situation. Without even an ounce of fight, the waiter motioned for them to take a seat inside the café. "Ok, we have a table on the inside."

Blake showed her appreciation with a smile.

Soon, they sat at an extravagantly furnished table, though it was only as extravagant as the ambience allowed. All around them, patrons of the cafe buzzed, drank, and were generally merry. Everyone, but one person that Blake could see - Weiss.

Blake cleared her throat. "Weiss?"

"Mhm," Weiss responded, lazily stirring her still hot coffee with a silver spoon.

"I'm sorry about making us sit inside, are you . . . mad?" Blake steeled herself for what she, based on prior experience, knew could be a scene.

"No, why would I be mad?"

She followed the response up with silence. Something was clearly bothering her.

Blake didn't say anything either, with her lips that is. She stared into Weiss' eyes. Amber eyes met clear blue, and Blake remembered another reason she loved Weiss. Her eyes, unlike the rest of her didn't adhere to the thin veneer of callousness, instead offering a wide range of expressions that most would miss. Blake saw the beauty in Weiss' soul, even if Weiss didn't see it herself.

Eventually, Weiss' shell cracked, and she sighed bodily. "I'm sorry for being so . . . curt," she wore her best smile. "It's the board. They're unhappy to put it bluntly."

Blake sipped from her tea, tilting her head to the side slightly in the universal interrogative.

"Remember last night? I brought up an attack on the company? The board isn't making any progress with Cardin's memory, and they have nobody to pin it on," her knuckles clenched around the small teacup. "They want to tell the same old story: it was the faunus, or it was the gangs - they want the city to pay for the damage," Weiss laughed harshly. "Some days, I can't remember why I ever agreed to this."

"What? You don't think it's a good thing?" Blake asked, puzzled. "Weiss, you're amazing. In such a short time, you've been able to help so many disenfranchised. I can't imagine why anyone would want you dead."

The last part was a lie, just a short while ago Blake counted herself among that group.

Weiss turned away, trying and failing to hide a smile. When she looked back, there was a little bit of color in her cheeks. "Where was this Blake five years ago?" She asked, nibbling her bottom lip seductively.

Blake smiled back, sipping her tea innocuously. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

All the while they spoke, trading banter and flirting, Ruby's (kind of) ultimatum rang through Blake's mind. If she were to tell Weiss, could she do it without hurting their relationship? Would it hurt her more to only find out a half truth? This wasn't going to be easy, so Blake decided to put it off until they were alone.

"Could I say something?" Weiss asked, suddenly taking Blake's hands in her own. They were smooth and delicate feeling, although Blake knew better than that. Weiss ran her finger over Blake's rough palm tenderly. "I've regretted not treating you better for as long as we've been apart. I shouldn't have cared so much about my image, we - _you_ were so much more important to me. And I want to make up for lost time, so . . . I know this is sudden, but, um, would you like to move in with me?"

 _What?_ Blake choked on her tea, and turned away coughing into her antecubital fossa. On one hand, it would make it easier to keep an eye on Weiss, but on the other, that was a huge step, one that they had avoided talking about when they were actually dating. Every time Weiss brought it up, Blake would drag her into bed and that would pacify her. In turn, Weiss would never use the 'L' word. Obviously, that strained their relationship, and it may have even been one of the primary reasons for their breakup. Blake figured that maybe now, she might be ready to do this. Even if she weren't, Weiss' safety was much more important than her own comfort

"Oh! Um, if you don't want to-" Weiss began, blushing heavily now.

"No! No! I would like - I would _love_ to," Blake replied, pulling Weiss in for a kiss. To Blake's surprise, Weiss didn't pull away, despite the rather public setting that they were in.

When she did pull away, she had an uncharacteristic smile on her face.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Weiss asked excitedly. "Let's do it!"


End file.
